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The JRXL-1000 Variable Threat Response Battle Suit, or "War Machine", is a solar charged carbon-composite-based external plating armor which provided its user with superhuman-level strength and durability as well as utilizing laser guided munitions. It was presented as the heavily modified Mark II Armor for Iron Man 2. Various weapons are added to the Mark II for the classic War Machine look.

Contents

Biography

Rhodes is under pressure by the United States government to convince Tony Stark to relinquish ownership of the Iron Man armor while remaining loyal to Stark despite frustration. After Whiplash attacks Stark, Rhodes tells him that he has been working 24/7 to stop the National Guard from using tanks and soldiers to break into his home and steal the Marks I-IV from the Hall of Armor, where he then learns that Tony is slowly dying. When an intoxicated Stark in the Iron Man armor proceeds to target and shoot various objects endangering the lives of all the guests at his birthday party, Rhodes was forced to don the Iron Man Mark II armor to intervene. After the intervention turns into a fight that wrecked Stark's home, Rhodes left with the Mark II armor.

War Machine in flight

War Machine fighting alongside Iron Man.

After the confiscated Mark II armor is upgraded into the heavily armed War Machine armor, it is taken for a demonstration at the Stark Expo with Rhodes as its pilot. However his armor was under the control of Ivan Vanko and Rhodes was forced to fight Stark against his will. The War Machine software was rebooted by Natasha Romanoff, enabling Rhodes to regain control over his armor. Rhodes then teamed with Stark to fight against Hammer's unmanned drones and Vanko himself. When Tony and Pepper are kissing on a roof, they somehow got on the same roof as he was. He took the armor to get home because his car was destroyed in the fight.

Tony stripped the War Machine armor of everything that Justin Hammer had "upgraded" it with leaving the suit with no weaponry. When Rhodes pointed this out to Stark, Stark revealed that he had designed a suit specifically for Rhodes, the War Machine 2.0. The prototype was added to Stark's Hall of Armor because he couldn't simply scrap one of his creations.

Rhodes began using the War Machine armor to take down Ten Rings terrorists in other countries finding that they had acquired Hammer Industries weaponry. War Machine took out the terrorists and continued to investigate the mysterious Ten Rings. By the time of the Chitauri invasion of New York, War Machine was busy fighting terrorists in Asia. Tony contacted him but Rhodes told him that even at supersonic speed it'd take over an hour for him to return so Tony told him not to bother. After dealing with the terrorists in Asia, Rhodes returned to New York, finding the battle already over he located Stark in a Shawarma restaurant where he was introduced to the Avengers.

The government repainted Rhodes' new War Machine armor with a patriotic color scheme, renaming it Iron Patriot because it got the best response from the public. It had the same functions of the Mark II, fighting terrorist, specifically the Mandarin. When the suit was captured, Eric Savin used the suit to capture the president and blow up Air Force One and sent it back the Mandarin in a oil rig in Florida, where he trapped the President in the Iron Patriot suit and planned to kill him on live TV. But Stark, Rhodey, and the Iron Legion came to fight off the Extremis soldiers and save the president. Rhodey saved the president and used the Iron Patriot suit to fly him to safety. After the "Clean Slate Protocol" was ordered, the Iron Legion, including the War Machine 2.0 prototype, were destroyed, thus making the Iron Patriot the only known suit still functioning.

The War Machine armor returned to its original paint scheme. During the fight against Ultron, S.H.I.E.L.D. deployed War Machine to fight against the Ultron Sentries attacking the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier with the Vision help. After Ultron was defeated, Rhodes joined the new Avengers when Tony left the team.

Behind the scenes

According to Don Cheadle, Rhodey's skills as a pilot are the reason why unlike Tony Stark, he doesn't need an AI to help him operate his armor. [1]

Trivia

Rhodey is around the same height as Tony when both men are suited in the Mark II and Mark IV armors respectively. But due to the various modifications of the Mark II, Rhodey (as War Machine) slightly towers over Tony (in the Mark VI armor) .

Although seen in merchandising material such as the video game, coloring books, etc., the armor is not seen with the miniature missile launcher mounted on his left shoulder.

The armor is not referred to as "War Machine" in Iron Man 2; although Stark did taunt Rhodes during the fight in the Mark II, quoting: "You want to be a War Machine? Take your shot!"